


Flashing Lights

by 98tuffluv



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Adoption, Alternate Universe, Angst, Car Accidents, Characters ages are different than they are in canon, Eventual Fluff, I just wanted cute baby pidge and shiro and instead i made angst, Katie's a baby, M/M, No Voltron Universe, Slow Burn, The first chapter is just pain, car crash, i guess?, idk Shiro's her godfather and gets custody, there will be more pain later on, this is probably not accurate at all, this is why i cant have nice things
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-10
Updated: 2017-09-10
Packaged: 2018-12-26 07:20:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12054066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/98tuffluv/pseuds/98tuffluv
Summary: "Everything moved quickly, but oh so slowly at the same time. Every detail was visible, but it all went by in the blink of an eye. One second, everything was fine. The family was bickering contently among themselves, the radio was humming, the road was empty...and then it wasn't...Brakes squealed, lights flashed brightly, and then went out completely. Sheets of metal came crashing through the windshield, shattering it into jagged pieces that scattered all over the vehicle. The sound of metal-on-metal grated through the air as the collision ran it's course...Everything felt heavy. His eyelids drooped, his chest struggled to lift with his lungs, and the last thing he remembered before he fell into blackness was the sound of a baby screeching with all her might."





	Flashing Lights

It was a warm night with clear skies, an empty road, and a singular car with a happy family inside. The car itself was a little old and run down, it was a family vehicle after all. With three rows of seats, a large trunk, but only a family of four to fit in it, it was a little odd. The roof had various things strapped onto it ranging from a canoe to fishing poles to camp chairs and it was obvious that the group was just getting back from a weekend camping trip in the mountains.

Inside the car were five passengers. The driver was Samuel Holt, an Air Force Veteran, and doting father to two children. His hair was stark white, but he remained as vibrant and youthful as he had been when he was a young sprout. He was happily humming along to a soft tune as he took the curves along the windy road with ease, his fingers moving to the beat against the hard leather of the steering wheel despite his wife's disapproving look.

Said wife was Colleen Holt who smiled at her husband's antics, but shook her head with a cluck of her tongue as she told him to watch the road. She had gentle wrinkles at the corners of her eyes and mouth and her forehead was starting to show signs of aging as well. Despite that, her hair was still a soft golden-blonde, and she could keep up with Samuel even on the worst of days (she should hope so, she had just had a baby after all).

In the very back of the car was Matthew (a.k.a “Matt”). He was their oldest child, having just turned eighteen, and had had his nose stuck in a hand-held console since their drive began. His hair color matched his mother's (though it was far more wild and untamed than her own carefully styled look) along with his honey eyes which were partially obscured by the glare off his glasses. He took his gangliness from his father, all awkward edges, and disproportionate lengths, but he was still supposed to grow into it. Colleen insisted he just needed to put some meat on his bones since he was so thin, but his metabolism just refused to allow him to gain weight.

In front of him, behind Colleen, was the newest member of the Holt family; Katie. She'd been affectionately nicknamed 'Pidge' by her older brother after Samuel got pooped on by a pigeon after they found out she was a girl. She was only a few months old and had been asleep in her carrier for nearly an hour at that point. Her cheeks were round and squishy, along with most of the rest of her. She was a relatively good baby, but she was loud when she wanted to be. Thankfully, being out camping had seemed to keep her quiet save for when she was hungry or needed a desperate diaper change, and the excitement from all of their activities seemed to have worn her out.

The final passenger in the vehicle was Takashi Shirogane. He was an active member of the Air Force and Matt's best friend. They were two years apart, but they had been inseparable since Jr. High, and had caused a ruckus all throughout high-school. Matt still did during his senior year, but Shiro had long since graduated, and had to keep his nose clean while he was working his way into the military.

He was the only non-Holt in the car, but he was an old family friend, and was frequently invited to their impromptu vacations. His own family had moved out of state after he graduated high-school and he visited them as frequently as he could, but the Holt's were a lot closer, and he considered them a second family by that point.

Well, technically he was part of the family. Samuel and Colleen had insisted on naming him Katie's godfather and he hadn't had the heart to decline. It was a little odd to think of himself as a technical 'parent' of sorts, but he knew it was just a precaution, and a way to make Takashi feel like part of the family (they'd always said that they wouldn't mind if Matt and Takashi got together, but the two of them both felt like that would be weird, and assured them that their friendship was plenty).

Takashi, otherwise known as Shiro, was watching out the side window, trying to catch any glimpses of the stars that he could. He'd always wanted to be an astronaut when he was a kid, but he'd given up on that dream a while ago, and decided that planes were the next best thing. He wasn't quite to pilot status yet, but he was getting there, and he was thrilled to see what the future would hold for him. Until then, he was living in a small apartment by himself, and he had to endure the constant teasing from the Holt's as they insisted that he find _someone_ to settle down with.

“Really Shiro, you're such a nice and good-looking young man. I don't see why anyone wouldn't want to go out with you,” Colleen chastised from the front seat, her eyes flicking up to the rear-view mirror to look at him with a fond expression.

He laughed, reaching up to rub the back of his neck with his arm, “You're too kind Mrs. Holt, really. I'm okay being alone for now. Once I get my pilot's license and start flying, I'll look into dating a little more and I'll be sure to keep you updated once that happens.”

“Well you'd better. I'd hate for such a handsome face to go to waste,” she clucked her tongue as her husband gave her a mockingly appalled look, “Oh quit it Samuel, I can tell Takashi that he's handsome, and you can shut your mouth about it,” her tone was harsh, but a smile was tugging at her lips at her husband's antics as per usual.

Sam flicked his eyes back to the road, shoulders visibly slumping inward, “She doesn't tell _me_ that _I'm_ handsome anymore. Then again, the most beautiful woman in the world is married to me. And the second most beautiful is right behind her.”

“Stop it Samuel, you're embarrassing the boys,” the slight red tint to both of the younger men's cheeks hadn't gone unnoticed and the married couple laughed at their misery. Sam took one hand off of the steering wheel, reaching over to take Colleen's in his own, and squeezing it gently, “Really dear, I know you love to torment the boys, but you really should keep both hands on the wheel.”

“Ah Colleen, what would I do without you?” he leaned over to press a kiss to her cheek while Matt made gagging noises in the backseat. The rest of the car laughed, then realized that they were probably being too loud as Katie made a grumble of displeasure in her seat, and wiggled against her restraints. There was brief silence, but, ultimately, she calmed back down, and a collective sigh of relief swept through the car.

Sam did as his wife suggested after the small scare and settled his hand back onto the steering wheel. He and Colleen hummed along to the tune that was playing (it was something that Shiro didn't recognize and that Matt didn't seem to care for) and Shiro rested his head against the side of the glass to resume watching out of the window.

It was a beautiful night. The sky was clear of any clouds, the moon was almost full, and stars were twinkling in the sky. He traced constellations in his mind, mapping them out visually, and smiling at how much he still remembered. It had been a long time since he'd really looked at the sky and he'd forgotten just how much he loved it.

The whole situation was heartwarming. It was always nice to be around family, even if they weren't talking, but instead just enjoying each other's company. The silence was comfortable and somewhat necessary since they didn't want to wake up the slumbering baby and face her wrath. She was small, but deceptively so. Her vocal chords made up for her size ten times over and Shiro wouldn't have been surprised if he lost hearing because of her.

Silence continued for a few minutes before Samuel reached over to turn down the radio, and caught Shiro's gaze in the rear view mirror, “I forgot to ask, but did you enjoy yourself Shiro? We definitely are glad we brought you along.”

“It was fun,” he assured him, smiling happily into the mirror, “Thanks for inviting me, hope I pulled my weight enough this trip. I didn't want you guys to feel like you had to do anything.”

Collen shook her head, tutting disapprovingly, “You were our guest Shiro, besides,you basically loaded and unloaded everything with Matt, we appreciate your help, and your company. We'll have to stay for longer next time, but I wasn't sure how Katie would do in the outdoors. Besides those minor allergies, I think she'll be alright though...we'll have to set up a doctor's appointment to see if there's some medication we can get.”

It was at that moment that Matt undid his seat belt and leaned forward to pop open the cooler that sat next to Shiro's feet. He fumbled around in it, eyes squinting at the glowing screen in front of him, and he fumbled around for one of the water bottles inside of the cooler.

It didn't take long for his mother to see what he was doing and she turned around in her seat to snap at him, “Matthew Holt, you sit back down and put your seat belt on before you get hurt!”

“Please mom, no one's even out on this road,” he rolled his eyes, moving over the seat a little more to get a better view of what he was looking for, and nudging Shiro's arm out of the way as he finally produced the small plastic bottle, “There, all done, and nothing happene-”

Matt was cut off as a rush of wind was force from him and he was flung around the car unceremoniously as a flash of light temporarily blinded the occupants. There was a loud crash, screaming, something breaking...

Everything moved quickly, but oh so slowly at the same time. Every detail was visible, but it all went by in the blink of an eye. One second, everything was fine. The family was bickering contently among themselves, the radio was humming, the road was empty...and then it wasn't.

A blind corner had them turning into someone driving on the wrong side of the road. A large truck with scraps loosely strapped to the top of it. It was old, rusty, and crushed the front end of the mini-van without hesitation.

Brakes squealed, lights flashed brightly, and then went out completely. Sheets of metal came crashing through the windshield, shattering it into jagged pieces that scattered all over the vehicle. The sound of metal-on-metal grated through the air as the collision ran it's course.

The cooler slammed forward, pulling Matt with it before he was tossed into the backseat like a ragdoll. Sam had instinctively reached an arm out to protect his wife. Colleen was staring in horror and Shiro was only faintly aware of a tingling sensation on his bicep.

Everything felt heavy. His eyelids drooped, his chest struggled to lift with his lungs, and the last thing he remembered before he fell into blackness was the sound of a baby screeching with all her might.

 

_Later..._

 

His nose itched.

It was a minor annoyance, but it bugged him nonetheless, and he reached up to try to scratch it. An invisible force gently pushed his hand back down and he felt a flare of irritation run through him. Why couldn't he just scratch his nose? It itched, he needed to make it stop.

He reached up to try again, but the same gentle pressure reappeared on his left arm to hold his arm down, and prevent him from taking care of the bothersome feeling. He wanted to snap at whatever was doing that, but he couldn't seem to find the ability too. It didn't freak him out that he couldn't talk though, he just shrugged it off, and tried again.

Once more, he was stopped, and he squirmed in discomfort before a heavy feeling overtook his brain. He felt exhausted suddenly, all of the energy draining from him as he slipped back into blissful blackness.

 

…

 

The next time he woke up, he was actually able to open his eyes. He blinked at his strange surroundings, his left hand coming up to rub at his forehead before he stopped, and looked at the IV sticking out of his wrist. It was only then that he became aware of the hospital gown he was wearing, the oxygen tubes in his nose, the sterile smell in the air, the heart monitor beeping steadily next to him...but why was he in a hospital?

His mind seemed all to happy to fling images at him. Colleen's horrified face, Matt's body getting tossed around, everyone screaming, Katie crying, _pain..._

He inhaled sharply, jerking from his thoughts as the heart monitor picked up a little. It wasn't much, but his awake state was noticed by someone, and they shuffled into the room quietly to check his vitals. They offered him a small smile, reaching a hand over to rest lightly on his bicep, “How do you feel Mr. Shirogane? That was quite the wreck you were in.”

“Fine, I feel fine,” he ignored the startled look on their face and glanced around the room, “Where are the others? Colleen, Sam, Matt...where are the Holts?”

“Please take a second to calm down Mr. Shirogane, there's...a lot to explain,” they took a breath and pulled up a chair to sit next to his bed. They set their clipboard onto the night stand next to the bed and clasped their hands together, “What do you remember about the accident?”

He didn't want to answer the question, he wanted them to answer his. Where were the Holts? Were they okay? He was worried and wanted to make sure that they'd made it out okay, “I-I remember...a car on the wrong side of the road-a truck. Matt was unbuckled, trying to get a water bottle. Katie was sleeping in her car seat. Sam was driving, it was a blind corner...we couldn't avoid it.”

They took a breath, nodding, “The truck that your vehicle collided with had sheets of metal strapped to the roof. When the collision occurred, those sheets were sent into your car. I'm...sorry, but Mr. and Mrs. Holt didn't make it. As for Matthew...had he been wearing a seat belt, things might have been different, but the impact was too much. He was killed almost immediately.”

Grief. That was all that he could describe the emotions that washed over him as; pure, unadulterated grief. It felt like a gaping void had opened up inside of his chest and let loose wave upon wave of unbearable sadness that left him gasping for air and trying to clutch at his heart, but...something was missing.

“Mr. Shirogane, I need you to take deep breath's for me,” the doctor stood, bracing a hand on his back, and the other on his chest to steady him, “I know, this is all going to be a shock for you, and losing a piece of yourself isn't easy-”

“Where is my arm?” he gritted out the words, his lungs burning as he continued to struggle to force them to work. His voice was raspy, desperate as he tried to cling to anything that he had left.

There was a brief pause as the doctor eased him through catching his breath and calmed him down from the abrupt panic attack before they sat down and rested a hand over his, “Your arm had to be amputated, there was nothing we could have done to save it. The world of prosthesis is advancing though, I'm sure with your background, and insurance it won't be too much of an issue to work something out for you.”

While they spoke, Shiro looked to the stump that remained of his arm. It was bandaged tightly, neatly, and he hadn't even noticed that it was gone. He remembered the stinging pain that had come almost immediately after the crash and it didn't take a genius to piece together what had happened after that. He closed his eyes, turned his head away, and forced himself not to panic again as he met the doctor's eyes, “What about Katie? The baby. What happened to her?”

“She's fine, alive, well, and healthy. Her car-seat absorbed most of the shock and the worst she got was some bruising, but she's alright,” the doctor assured him, but there was another pregnant pause, and it was obvious that there was more to be said, “I'm not sure how well you know the Holt's family situation, but there aren't many options for Katie. If you aren't up for the task, there's a first cousin that we tracked down who might be willing. If not, then the foster system can provide plenty of opportunities for-”

“No,” he cut them off, shaking his head, and swallowing back the lump in his throat. At least Katie made it. Someone besides him lived through that horrendous crash, “I'm her godfather, I'll take her. She's not going into a home.”

The doctor nodded, offering him a small smile, and squeezing his hand, “I'll send a social worker by to work out the details and make sure that the arrangement will work beneficially for both of you and that you'll be able to handle it. I'll have someone stop by to talk to you about prosthetic options as well. I'm keeping you and Katie overnight, but you should be able to leave in the morning if everything goes well. If you need anything, don't hesitate to call for a nurse. I'll have them bring you some food too. You should rest while you wait.”

He nodded, sinking back against the pillows, and closing his eyes, “Yeah, I think I could use it. Thank you.”

“Of course,” they got to their feet, gathered up their clipboard, and left the room.

Shiro stared at the curtains for a moment, watching small dust particles glinting when they caught the sunlight that was streaming through the window. It was almost peaceful until the well of emotions that he'd bottled up finally broke free.

It wasn't often that Shiro cried. He dealt with pain, he lead a good life, there was little need for tears, but the pure loss that he'd just experienced was too much and he cracked. Still, it was quiet, and short lived. A couple of shed tears, a small, choked sob, and a handful of small sniffles before he managed to get himself back under control.

He would mourn more when he got home. He'd let more out at the inevitable funerals and then he'd pull himself back together and force himself to get back into life. He couldn't afford to fall apart completely, not when he had someone to look after.

 _Katie_.

The poor thing was probably terrified. She was hurt, in a strange place with strange people...then again, maybe she was content as long as she had somewhere to lay, something to play with, food, and constant diaper changes. She was too small to understand the gravity of the situation. She'd never remember her family, never get to know any of them, and they'd never get to see her grow up. It felt _wrong_ that he'd be the one experiencing that. She wasn't his daughter, not in the same sense as she had been for Sam and Colleen, but he knew that he was doing the right thing.

They'd labeled him as her godfather in case something like that happened. They trusted that he'd be able to take care of her if they couldn't, but he doubted that any of them had expected it to actually happen, or to occur as quickly as it had. Regardless, Shiro wouldn't let them down. He didn't want Katie to go through the foster system, not when she had somebody who could already provide a comfortable and safe home for her.

He'd have to move, get a bigger apartment. Thankfully, he was sure that he could take what was Katie's from the Holt home, and use that, but finding somewhere else to live besides the one bedroom place he was renting would be step one. Hell, maybe he'd see about finding a house. He didn't know what the situation with the Holt's home would be, but he hoped that some of the money that went into selling it would go to a fund for Katie.

It was all so stressful, he didn't want to think about it anymore. He was running himself ragged, but he didn't feel like he could sleep. He knew he needed it, so he shut his eyes, tried to push the thoughts racing through his head to the side, but they kept reappearing. He couldn't stop them, so he didn't bother trying, and just stared at the ceiling for an unknown amount of time.

He heard the door opening and looked towards it, surprised to see them rolling a crib into the room. They set it up at the end of his bed and one of the nurse's looked at him, “They said we should bring her in here for now. Would you like to hold her? She just ate and she's been burped so she might be a little tired.”

“Please,” he held out his arm and the nurse smiled warmly as she settled Katie into it.

Her eyes were open, gazing up at him as she reached for his face. Shiro let out a soft huff of a laugh as he obliged her and leaned forward to boop their noses together. That earned him a toothless smile as she wiggled and cooed in his grip. Her fingers snagged into the longer tuft of hair that dangled over his forehead and she held tightly to it until Shiro's neck started complaining and he carefully eased himself back against the pillows.

“Hi Katie,” he spoke softly, rocking her gently as her attention drifted curiously around the room, “Just you and me now,” he continued as the nurse's left the room and he adjust his position so that he could lay down with Katie on his chest. She seemed to be unhappy about not being able to see him though, so he carefully moved her onto her stomach.

She struggled to lift her head a bit, lips parting slightly as she first made sure that Shiro was still there before twisting her head to look around more. It was adorable and he smiled softly, grateful that she was in the room with him so that he had something to distract him from the pressing matters of the future. It was probably for the best that she didn't understand what had happened, but he wondered if she would ever even register that her parents and brother were missing. He shook the thought from his head, deciding that it didn't matter, because he'd make sure that she knew about her family.

Abruptly, the strength in her neck gave out, and she face planted back onto his chest. A look that seemed torn between shock and horrific anger crossed her face and she pressed her tiny hands into his shirt, struggling to lift herself back up again, “Easy Katie, I've got you,” he sat up a bit, easing her back into the crook of his arm so that he could lift her up. He splayed his fingers across her back, bracing her as she took in the new perspective eagerly.

He smiled softly, holding her there for a little longer before she began to squirm in discomfort. He adjusted her accordingly and laid her down so that she could nuzzle into the crook of his neck. Her fingers found their way into his shirt again and he could feel her chest moving with each small breath she took.

He rubbed her back, tilting his head to stare up at the ceiling once more as his eyes finally began to droop, “I've got you...”

 

**Author's Note:**

> So this was going to be a cute one-shot of Shiro cuddling with baby Pidge, but then I got to thinking, and it turned into a whole plot so here we are.  
> I'll try to update every two weeks or at least once a month, but it depends on how crazy things get so we'll see.


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